2022/23 Finish - 16th Place
125 Years. AFC Bournemouth is a Medium-Small club on the south coast of England who fell to League 2 (level 4) in the 1990s and again in 2000s. In 2008, Bournemouth hired former player Eddie Howe (current manager at Newcastle) who led them to 3 promotions and into the PL for the first time in their history, and then kept them there 5 consecutive years. The Cherries enter their 4th straight season in the PL and 9th overall.
2X Relegation. The last two of three seasons the Cherries were bettors picks to be relegated yet stayed up, including a 12th place and 9th place finish.
Balance. Two years ago the Cherries had new ownership, a new manager and a commitment to spending/acquisition - $100M+ in additional spending - and that combination worked. Last season they were more conservative in the off-season transfer window, bringing most of their squad back, including manager Irola. That worked too.
Rebuilding. This season The Cherries have some big holes to fill after selling several players, particularly on defense. They have brought new players in but there is risk when most of the defensive players are new.
High Press. Andoni Iraola’s preference is to press high and create turnovers. But, this can open up the defense. Will be interesting to see how this style plays out with a new defense.
The Club
Located in Bournemouth (South Coast)
Dean Court, now called Vitality Stadium, 11,307 capacity
Rough estimates
$152M Annual Revenue
$65M Player Payroll
History on the Pitch
Highest finish, 9th in 2022
0 FA Cups
Never played for Europe Cups
Sponsorship
Kit: Umbro
Shirt: bj88 (gambling)
Sleeve: LEOS International
Home
Away
Ownership
Black Knight Football Club
American Businessman Bill Foley (LV Knights owner) completed a takeover bid for Bournemouth in December 2022. Foley is chairman of Cannae Holdings which owns 51% of the club. Michael B Jordan (Actor) leads the minority ownership group. Together they bought the club for $150M.
Very good article on why Foley bought the team and what he plans to do with it here.
“We will move forward with an 'always advance, never retreat’ approach”.
LV Knights
Biggest Rival - Southampton
Southampton is back in the Championship so this rivalry will not be renewed this season.
31 miles separate the two south coast towns.
Southampton does not consider Bournemouth a rival, their rival is Portsmouth which is labeled the South Coast Derby.
Rivalries exist across the South of England, for this season expect big matches with Brighton & Hove Albion - also in the PL.
The Culture
In 2009, AFC Bournemouth was 1 match away from being relegated out of League 2 (Level 4), out of the EFL and down to Level 5. SEVEN years and three promotions later they were celebrating their first ever promotion to the PL. This was great news for other PL team’s fans, as Bournemouth is the first away match the fans look for as they can turn the trip into a seaside getaway.
AFC B has a relatively big fanbase given the stadium’s size of 11,000. The supporters were voted the best-behaved fanbase in the PL and seem to go by several nicknames: Red & Black Army, Cherries Red Army, the Cherries.
While the club has been around for a long time, it feels like the fast rise to the PL may be changing the culture, along with the new ownership. Three years ago, the Cherries did not sell a player from the previous season and added over $100M in acquisitions is quite a statement. Also, one look at the AFCB website and you can see the new owners focus - We Keep Moving.
Boscombe
The Club originally started as Boscombe FC, then in 1923 Bournemouth & Boscombe Athletic Football Club. In 1971 they adopted the name AFC Bournemouth with the intention that the club would appear first in alphabetical lists of English clubs.
Boscombe is a suburb of Bournemouth, home to over 7 miles of sandy beaches.
Supporters You May Recognize
Seth Rogan - As the story goes, Seth appeared on an episode of Soccer AM and said he didn't have a team he supported so the show put names in a hat and Rogan picked The Cherries.
Several UK actors support AFC B.
Song
“Flying high, up in the sky, We'll keep the red flag flying high, From Dean Court to Wembley, We'll keep the red flag flying high.”
Red & Black Army
Game Day Pub Guide
The Queens Park
Fan Sites
Official Twitter
@afcbournemouth
High Follows on Twitter
@RBA_app (30k)
@AFCBPodcast (5k)
@CherriesChat (4k)
The Team
The Gaffer
Andoni Iraola (Spain), 43yo.
Hired in June, 2023, got off to slow start but contended for top 10 as season went on.
Played and managed most of career in Spain, with 406 appearances for Athletic Bilbao.
Andoni Iraola
ODDS
To Win League +40,000
To Be Relegated +670
Roster Notes
Full Roster click link
CS Projected to finish 12th
Antoine Semenyo
Justin Kluivert
Evanilson
Bafode Diakite
Adrien Truffert
Goalkeeper
Dorde Petrovic
Dean Court - Vitality Stadium
